Both @PhilT and @mark_m have provided some good advice.
If you are also a choice member, Choice has
which can also be of assistance.
I believe that a laptop pf a well known brand (ACER) should last a lot longer than 1 year + 4 months and believe that it should be covered by the Australian Consumer Law. I personally would expect a laptop, if looked after, should provide one with a life of at least 4+ years trouble free. This is no different to what other ‘reasonable persons’ like myself would expect:
Choice also has information on ACL rights in addition to the ACCC link provided by @PhilT in the above post. The information can be found here:
Also, the ACCC website has an example complaint letter which is useful as well and can help you make the first step when approaching the retailer/ACER.
The other advice in addition to the above is make sure you document all contacts with the retailer/ACER. Such records may be useful should there be no resolution by ACER/retailer and you decide to take the complaint further (such as your local fair trading office).
If there is a history online of the product being faulty, it is also worth bringing this to the attention of the retailer/ACER as it can support an argument that the product has been designed or manufactured in a way which has lead to the fault. Resolution of such is therefore the responsibility of the retailer/ACER.
